Don’t expect area and state tourism supporters to throw a luau for legislators anytime soon.
Concluding a dispute with Republican Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-led legislature that played out like a bloody game of intramural rugby, the Legislature earlier this month cut the budget of Visit Florida, the state’s public-private tourism agency, from $76 million to $25 million, as part of the state’s $82.4 million fiscal year 2017-18 budget.
John Horne, chief executive officer of Anna Maria Oyster Bar, says Visit Florida has been “touting the brand of tourism in Florida. They have spent the money to tell people about” Florida, hoping tourists will visit the state.
Horne commented to The Islander while attending the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s National Tourism Week celebration May 12 at the convention center in Palmetto. Proponents of Visit Florida held off legislators’ attempt to eliminate the agency entirely from the budget, he said.
“We need someone marketing the state of Florida,” Horne added.
Visit Florida officials will have to figure out how to maximize a smaller budget. Ken Lawson, president and chief executive officer of the agency, was a guest speaker at the Manatee event.
Lawson, a native Floridian who described himself as “passionate,” addressed audience members with the enthusiasm of a football coach, thanking them for supporting efforts to stave off the cuts.
For Lawson, it’s halftime and his team is losing, but the game is not over.
“You don’t know how much I appreciate you for what you’ve done for the last several months in helping Visit Florida fight this fight in Tallahassee,” the former secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said, adding that people who work in tourism-related businesses will be impacted.
“The Legislature decided to engage in a philosophical debate. But the thing is they are debating about our economic health and the ability of 4.4 million Floridians to get to work for their families and live their lives,” he said.
Lawson, who took over Visit Florida in January, said the Legislature put “handcuffs” on his agency, hindering Florida’s ability to compete with other states for tourists from both the United States and overseas. Lawson said tourism adds value to Manatee County and to every community in the state.
“We know that with Visit Florida being an umbrella, small, medium and large markets can sell themselves across America and the world,” he said.
When tourists spend their vacation dollars in Florida, they are likely to pay a resort tax and sales tax. Manatee County resort taxes are allocated by the county commission on recommendations from the tourist development council.
Through advertising, public relations and other means, the CVB promotes the county in concert with Visit Florida’s state promotions. Lawson says the state gets $3.20 in increased tax revenue for every $1 it spends on destination marketing.
During his annual state of county tourism speech to the media, prior to the celebration, CVB executive director Elliott Falcione noted that 112 million people visited the state in 2016. Visit Florida brings awareness to the state, he said, but it’s the CVB’s job to “pull them in” to Manatee County, including Anna Maria Island.
He added that after the CVB gets tourists to the county line, it’s up to the local tourism industry to pull them to their businesses.
But with the Visit Florida budget being cut by more than two-thirds, Falcione said, Florida will lose its ability to be top-of-mind in the marketplace.
“I guarantee California or New York will send us all Christmas cards every year, or thank you cards, for the budget being reduced in Florida.”